IELTS Prep Course: Cohesive Devices & Linking Vocabulary

Name: I.D. Section:

Cohesive Devices &

Linking Vocabulary
Worksheet
 IELTS Prep Course: Cohesive Devices & Linking Vocabulary

Instructions

 Look at sentences 1-5 below. Complete each sentence with the correct items of
transition vocabulary (see box A below). Next, match each piece of transition
vocabulary to its correct usage (see box B below).

1. Global warming is a serious problem affecting many parts of the world today.
__________, many countries are trying to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels which
can lead to the production of greenhouse gases such as CO2.

Usage:

2. There are several stages in writing a good IELTS task 2 essay. __________, it’s
important that you understand exactly what the question is asking you to do. Next, you
need to identify key words in the question which will help you to plan your answer.

Usage:

3. It is important for the future of the UAE that it diversifies its economy. In other words, it
cannot just depend on the money from oil sales. It must look at other sources of
revenue; __________, the tourism, finance and alternative energy sectors.

Usage:

4. In the northern hemisphere (north of the equator), the cooler, winter months are usually
from November to March, __________ in the southern hemisphere these months are
normally the hottest part of the year.

Usage:

5. __________, it should be clear from what I stated previously in my presentation that I

support the use of government money to finance research into alternative energy.

Usage:

Box A Transition Vocabulary

first of all as a result whereas for instance to conclude

Box B Usage
drawing conclusions expressing contrast listing points

giving examples expressing result

 IELTS Prep Course: Cohesive Devices & Linking Vocabulary

Instructions

 Look at the different items of transition vocabulary in the box below. Can you match
them with the correct usage? Some have been done for you as examples.

despite thirdly therefore as a result of this however

furthermore in contrast in addition for this reason including
firstly whereas finally in consequence consequently
while like what is more on the other hand for instance
secondly so in spite of even though moreover
to sum up such as lastly

No. Listing Expressing Expressing Giving Drawing

Points Result Contrast Examples Conclusions

1 moreover consequently while like

2 thirdly so

10
 IELTS Prep Course: Cohesive Devices & Linking Vocabulary

Examples of Cause & Effect

Underline the cause & circle the effect in the sentences below.

(i) Heat causes iron to expand.

(ii) Prices rose. As a result, fewer goods were sold.

(iii) The colour of the leaves is due to lack of water.

Accidents Careless driving

 How can you express the relationship if you put the cause first? Try to use some of
these expressions:

causes, leads to, gives rise to, results in, brings about,

 How can you express the relationship if you mention the effect first? Try to use some of
these expressions:

is caused by, is due to, is the effect of, results from, is the result of,

 When there are several possible causes or several possible effects you can modify by
using may / might or an adverb of frequency, e.g. often / sometimes.

Pollution is often caused by factory smoke. Smoking may cause heart disease.

 Now decide which the cause is and which the effect is from the pairs below and write
some appropriate sentences.

A B

malaria pollution
overcrowding eating too much fast food
motor vehicles mosquito bites
an unhealthy, high in sugar diet crime
obesity loud noise
deafness diabetes
1. ___________________________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________________________

4. ___________________________________________________________________

5. ___________________________________________________________________

6. ___________________________________________________________________
 IELTS Prep Course: Cohesive Devices & Linking Vocabulary

Exercise A Using Contrast Vocabulary 1

 Read the sentences below and then answer the questions which follow.

1. Even though / Although / Though it was cold and raining, I went swimming at the beach.

2. I went swimming at the beach even though / although / though it was cold and raining.

3. It was cold and raining but I went swimming at the beach.

4. It was cold and raining. However, / Nevertheless, / Nonetheless, I went swimming at the
beach.

5. I went swimming at the beach despite the fact that / in spite of the fact that it was cold and
raining.

6. Despite the fact that / In spite of the fact that it was cold and raining, I went swimming at
the beach.

A Do these sentences have the same meaning or a different meaning?

B Which part of the sentence describes the situation and which part describes the result?

It was cold and raining = I went swimming at the beach =

C Was the result of the situation normal / usual / expected, or was it surprising / unusual /
unexpected?

D Which of the words / expressions in bold cannot be used to start a sentence?

E Which of the words / expressions in bold must be used before the ‘situation’ clause?

F Which of the words / expressions must be used before the ‘result’ clause?

G Using the sentences above as an example, can you work out a rule for when we need to use
a comma?
 IELTS Prep Course: Cohesive Devices & Linking Vocabulary

 Complete the sentences below with your own ideas.

1. Even though I had a cold, I ___________________________________________________.

2. _______________________________________________________ although I didn’t study.

3. It’s still hot in here though I ___________________________________________________.

4. ______________________________________________ but I ate a sandwich before class.

5. _________________________________________. However, I still made it to class on time.

6. __________________________________________. Nevertheless, the team won the game.

7. ________________________________________________. Nonetheless, it tasted delicious.

8. _____________________________________________ despite living in Britain for ten years.

9. In spite of trying to exercise every day, Mr. Smith __________________________________.

10. Despite the hard work of the teacher, the students ________________________________.

11. ___________________________________________ in spite of the decrease in oil prices.

Note: If we use a verb after ‘despite’ / ‘in spite of’ what form must the verb take?

What parts of speech are (the hard) work, (the) decrease?

 Rewrite the sentences using one of these structures:

However / Nevertheless / Nonetheless.
Two examples have been done for you. Be careful with the word order & punctuation

1. He wasn’t thirsty but he drank a cup of coffee with his friends.

He wasn’t thirsty. However, he drank a cup of coffee with his friends._____________________

2. I still trust him even though he lied to me.

He lied to me. Nevertheless, I still trust him.________________________________________

3. Mr. Jones did not panic although his car had broken down in the desert.

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

4. Even though Henry J Bean is an honest politician, I would not vote for him because of his
views on foreign policy.

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

5. My trip to New York was very enjoyable though it was very expensive.

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
 IELTS Prep Course: Cohesive Devices & Linking Vocabulary

 Rewrite the sentences using one of these structures:

Despite (the fact that) / In spite of (the fact that)
Examples have been done for you. Be careful with the word order & punctuation

 You may need to add a verb in the ‘-ing’ form to the original sentence.

1. Even though his grades were low, he was admitted to the university.

In spite of the fact that his grades were low, he was admitted to the university._____________

He was admitted to the university despite the fact that his grades were low._______________

Despite having low grades, he was admitted to the university.__________________________

He was admitted to the university in spite of having low grades._________________________

2. Although the work was hard, they enjoyed themselves.

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

3. He feels unhappy though he is very rich.

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

4. Although it is very hot, many people work in the construction industry in the UAE.

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

5. He enjoyed living in Hong Kong even though the language was difficult to understand.

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
 IELTS Prep Course: Cohesive Devices & Linking Vocabulary

Exercise B Using Contrast Vocabulary 2

 Read the sentences below and then answer the questions which follow them.

1. Mr. Jones is rich, whereas Mr. Smith is poor.

2. Mr. Jones is rich, while Mr. Smith is poor.

3. Whereas Mr. Smith is poor, Mr. Jones is rich.

4. Mr. Smith is poor but Mr. Jones is rich.

5. Mr. Jones is rich. However, Mr. Smith is poor.

6. Mr. Smith is poor. Mr. Jones, on the other hand, is rich.

A Do these sentences have the same meaning or a different meaning?

B Are we using these structures to show how the two items we are comparing (Mr. Smith &
Mr. Jones) are similar or different?

C What do you notice about the punctuation used here?

D Can you write 4 sentences about the contrasts between the UAE & the UK? Think about
climate, food, size, population, geography, history, culture, education, sports & hobbies etc.

1. __________________________________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________________________________

4. __________________________________________________________________________
 IELTS Prep Course: Cohesive Devices & Linking Vocabulary

Additional Practice:

(i) Link 1 below provides an exercise which asks you to identify synonyms of many transitional
phrases (not just contrast expressions). Try the exercise and make a note of any new
vocabulary items which appear.

(ii) Link 2 below takes you to the excellent Dominic Cole Blog. Here you can see examples of
transitional vocabulary and then move on to some quiz exercises (some of which are quite
challenging).

(iii) The Links in 3 take you to Hong Kong Polytechnic’s Grammar site. There are examples
given here and some quite challenging multiple-choice gap fill exercises.

(iv) Short BBC quizzes on common linking vocabulary for both cohesion & contrast.

No Link

1 http://www.academicenglishcafe.com/writing-quiz-1.html

http://www.academicenglishcafe.com/writing-quiz-2.html

2 http://www.dcielts.com/ielts-listening/connecting-language-contrasts/

http://www2.elc.polyu.edu.hk/CILL/eap/contrastclauses.htm
3
http://www2.elc.polyu.edu.hk/CILL/eap/2004/u3/contrastclauses.htm

4 http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/worldservice/quiznet/quizengine?ContentType=text/html;quiz=1213_cohesion

http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/worldservice/quiznet/quizengine?ContentType=text/html;quiz=136_contrast
 IELTS Prep Course: Cohesive Devices & Linking Vocabulary

Task: Connecting Reason & Result Clauses

 Before we start to look in more detail at the vocabulary & structures we can use to
connect reasons & results, try this short diagnostic quiz from the BBC Learning English
Quiznet website.

BBC Learning English Quiznet: Transition Vocabulary

http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/worldservice/quiznet/quizengine?ContentType=text/html;quiz=1618_cause_effect

(i) Using ‘because’, ‘because of’ & ‘due to’

 Look at the example sentences below.

 Which sentence gives a reason (why we decide to do something)? ____

 Which sentence gives a result (what happened)? ____

(a) We stayed at home. (b) The weather was cold

We can combine these sentences by using ‘because’, ‘because of’ or ‘due to’.

Because the weather was cold, we stayed at home.

Because of / Due to the cold weather, we stayed at home.

We stayed at home because the weather was cold.

We stayed at home because of / due to the cold weather.

 Do these sentences have the same or different meaning?

 What differences do you notice between the sentences?

 __________ needs to be followed by a verb in the clause

 We use ‘because’, because of’, ‘due to’ before the ___________ clause.

 Use ‘because’, ‘because of’, ‘due to’ to complete the sentences below. Decide which
part of the sentence is the reason & which is the result. Be careful with word order and
punctuation.

1. Due to ____________________________________, I got an A+ grade in my examination.

2. ________________________________________ I went to bed at 3 o’clock in the morning.

3. ___________________________________________________ the very hot temperatures.

4. Because I ___________________________________________, my father was very angry.

 IELTS Prep Course: Cohesive Devices & Linking Vocabulary

 Now we will listen to a student, Taka from Japan, try to understand the
difference between ‘because’ and ‘because of’. Read the basic explanation
which demonstrates when these terms are used and then try the practice quizzes.

BBC Grammar Challenge: ‘Because’ vs. ‘Because of’

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/165_gramchallenge10/

00.25 – 05.06

1. Taka listens to a girl called Hina who talks about her weekend. She is asked a question
and gives 2 answers. Listen to the questions and explanation and complete the gaps
below:

Interviewer: “Did you have a good weekend?”

Hina: (i) Not really, I couldn’t go out __________ I __________ a cold.

(ii) Not really, I couldn’t go out _________ __________ my cold.

2. ‘Because’ is a conjunction, so it must be followed by a __________ and _________.

‘Because of’ is a preposition, so it must be followed by a ___________ __________

‘Because of’ can also be followed by a ___________, which is a verb ending in ______

3. Complete the correct sentences Taka says which practice the use of ‘because’ /
‘because of’.

I went to bed early __________ I _________ very tired.

I went to bed early because __________ _________ very tired.

We didn’t go out _____________ of ___________ rain.

She couldn’t get (her) the job _________ of __________ __________.

She couldn’t get the job __________ she _________ so ___________ .

 IELTS Prep Course: Cohesive Devices & Linking Vocabulary

(ii) Using ‘as’ & ‘since’

 Look at the pair of example sentences below.

 Which sentence gives a reason (why we decide to do something)? ____

 Which sentence gives a result (what happened)? ____

(a) Monday was John’s birthday. (b) We decided to throw a surprise party for him.

We can combine these sentences using the linking words ‘as’ or ‘since’.

As/Since Monday was John’s birthday, we decided to throw a surprise party for him.

We decided to throw a surprise party for John as/since Monday was his birthday.

 Do these sentences have the same or different meaning?

 What differences do you notice between the sentences?

 We use ‘as’ or ‘since’ before the ___________ clause.

 Use ‘as’ or ‘since’ to combine the pairs of sentences below. Decide which sentence is
the reason & which is the result. Be careful with word order and punctuation.

1. Monday is a national holiday. All government offices will be closed.

_________________________________________________________________________

2. The people John lives with don’t speak any Arabic. He has to speak English with them.

_________________________________________________________________________

3. We must do whatever we can to conserve oil. It is an irreplaceable natural resource.

_________________________________________________________________________

4. Many young people move to the cities in search of employment. There are few jobs
available in rural areas.

_________________________________________________________________________
 IELTS Prep Course: Cohesive Devices & Linking Vocabulary

(iii) Using ‘therefore’, ‘consequently’, ‘as a result’ & ‘so’

 Look at the pair of example sentences below.

 Which sentence gives a reason (why we decide to do something)? ____

 Which sentence gives a result (what happened)? ____

(a) Hussain failed the test. (b) Hussain didn’t study.

We can combine these sentences using the linking words ‘therefore’, ‘consequently’, ‘as a
result’ or ‘so’.

Hussain didn’t study. Therefore, / Consequently, / As a result, he failed the test.

Hussain didn’t study, so he failed the test.

 Do these sentences have the same or different meaning?

 What differences do you notice between the sentences?

 We use ‘therefore’, consequently’, ‘as a result’ or ‘so’ before the ___________

clause.

 We do not use __________ to start sentences

.
 Use ‘therefore’, ‘consequently’, ‘as a result’ or ‘so’ to combine the pairs of sentences
below. Decide which sentence is the reason & which is the result. Be careful with word
order and punctuation.

1. Fewer people are unemployed. The economy has been strong for the last few years.

_________________________________________________________________________

2. The teacher postponed the examination. There were many students stuck in a traffic
jam.

________________________________________________________________________

3. Last night’s storm damaged the overhead electricity power lines. The town was without
electricity for several hours.

_________________________________________________________________________

4. Tariq always makes numerous spelling mistakes in his essay writing. Tariq does not use
a dictionary.

_________________________________________________________________________